Chair



-- Mfl ch '1 1921. 1,619,503

G. D. FURLONG CHAIR Filed Oct-28. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 1,1927. 1,619,503 7 G.D FURLONG CHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed (5ct.28. 1924 Patented Mar. 1, 1927.

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHAIR.

Application filed October 28, 1924. Serial No. 746,373.

This invention relates to chairs of the type in which the seat and back are pivoted to the supporting frame and are yieldingly held in positions from which they may be moved by the weight of the occupant of the chair.

An object of the invention is to provide achair of this'type in which the seat and back are independently movable but are both subject to the influence of the same spring member or members.

Further and more specific objects of the invention will be apparent from the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a chair in which my invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a broken view, in section, as taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation of the hinge and stop mechanism as viewed from the right side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the stop member;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation illustrating the invention as embodied in an arm chair;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation, partly in section, of a modification; and

Fig. 7 is a detail view of the combined hinge and stop mechanism shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

In the drawings, the chair seat, which is indicated by the numeral 1, is pivoted near its forward edge to the front legs 2 and the chair back 3 is pivoted to the rear legs 4 by hinges which are located approximately in horizontal alignment with the pivots of the seat 1. Any suitable form of hinges may be used, but I prefer the construction shown in Fig. 4, in which the pivot pin 5 passes through a lug 6 carried by the chair leg and an inverted U-shaped saddle 7 on the seat, the saddle having side plates which snugly engage the opposite faces of the lug 6.

A bracket 8 extends downwardly from the back 3 to a point below the rear of the seat 1, and a spiral spring 9 is arranged between the seat and the bracket. The spring 9 tends to throw the rear of the seat upwardly and the top of the back portion forwardly. Either the back or the seat may be moved independently, but the movement of either portion will affect the support afforded the other by the spring 9. Stop mechanism is provided to limit the tilting movement of the parts, the stop preferably comprising a plate 10 adapted to be attached to a leg 4; the plate having an extension 11 positioned beneath the seat 1 and having opposed cars 12 which extend into the path of movement of a strap 13 which depends from the back 3.

In Fig. 5, I have illustrated the invention as applied to an arm chair. Arms 14 which extend from the back 3 overlie opposite sides of the seat 1 and the parts are yieldingly held in position by tension springs. As here shown, a pair of-springs 15 is used at each side of the chair, and the springs are preferably encased by guard sleeves 16. In place of the stop mechanism illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, the arm chair is shown as provided with a combined hinge and motion limiting device. The upper en-d of each rear leg 4 is reduced insize to receive a cap 17 having side walls which are apertured near their rear edges to receive a hinge pin 18 which passes througha similarly apertured cap 19 which is carried by the back 3. The caps 17 and 19 have opposed faces which contact when the back 3 is in substantially vertical position, and the cap 19 is provided with a lug 20 which engages a flange 21 on the forward wall of the cap 17 to limit the rearward movement of the top portion of the back 3. The hinges between the seat 1 and the front legs 2 may take the form described in connection with Figs. 1 to 3.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6 a compression spring is arranged between the seat and back at each side of the chair. Rods 22, 23 which extend from the seat and back, respectively, overlap each other for a considerable portion of their lengths and a compression spring 24 is arranged about the rods and connected to the ends thereof. The bottom ends of the rods 22 are threaded to receive adjusting nuts 25 which bear against lugs 26 on the chair seat. A guard sleeve 27 is preferably provided forthe spring 24. As with the other forms of chairs, any suitable hinges and stop mechanism may be employed.

Both the seat and the back portions of chairs embodying my invention are yieldable under theweight of the occupant of the chair, and while independently movable, are correlated in their movements since they are both subjected to the stress of the same spring members. A chair of this type is more comfortable than the ordinary spring seat and back chairs in which the seat and back are rigidly connected to move as a unit when the occupant leans backward or shifts his weight in the chair. The construction is commercially feasible and also it is not objectionable to the eye.

The essential feature of my invention is the provision of a spring connection between a pivoted seat and a separately pivoted back. The spring connection may comprise a plurality of springs or a single spring, and the details of the seat, back and supporting legs or frame may be *aried over wide ranges. Various changes may be made in the several. parts, their relative size, shape, and position without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A seat and back structure of the type in which a seat and a back are individually pivoted to a support for rocking movement with respect to each other and to said sup port, characterized by a spring connection between the seat and back.

2. A seat and back structure, comprising a support, a seat hinged at its forward edge to said support, a back hinged at its base to said support for rocking movement independent of said seat and a spring connection between said seat and said back.

3. The invention as claimed in claim 2, in combination with means limiting the tilting movement of said back.

4. In a chair, the combination with a supporting structure, a seat and a back, of

means pivotally connecting the front edge pivotally mounted upon said structure, the

pivotal connection 0 said seat being at the front edge thereof and the pivotal connection of said back being located approximately in horizontal alignment with the pivotal connections for said seat, and a spring having the ends thereof attached to said seat and said back respectively.

6. A chair comprising a supporting structure, a seat hinged at its front edge to said structure, a back hinged to said structure, l

a spring connecting saidseat and back, and means for varying the stress in said spring.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

GEORGE n. FURLONG. 

